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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28818582">The Chronicles of the Radiant Seven</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoH/pseuds/PoH'>PoH</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Attempt at Humor, Dungeons &amp; Dragons 5th Edition, Gen, Hijinks &amp; Shenanigans, Post-Kingdom Hearts III</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:35:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,379</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28818582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoH/pseuds/PoH</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Play you again sometime, when we're just guys."</p>
<p>"I should like that very much, Sora."</p>
<p>After they both return to the Realm of Light, Luxord decides to follow up on a promise that he made with Sora during the Keyblade War.  He assumed they would be playing something like poker, or maybe another boat race to Port Royal.  He did not think it meant getting roped into Sora's Dungeons &amp; Dragons campaign.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Chronicles of the Radiant Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic was written for the KH/D&amp;D zine, "Kingdoms &amp; Keyblades!"  It was a lot of fun and I'm so grateful that I got to be a part of it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Play you again sometime, when we’re just guys.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I should like that very much, Sora.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord meant what he said as he felt his body fading away.  He admired Sora’s determination to win even when he had all the odds stacked against him.  And so, after they’d both been restored to the Realm of Light, the time came when Sora inevitably bumped into him again and made the offer: “My friends and I are about to start this new game, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span>, over at Merlin’s house.  Want to join us tomorrow night?  We’re not actually playing yet; just going over the rules.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Certainly,” Luxord agreed, though he couldn’t imagine what sort of game would require an entire night just to go over the rules.  At least it had the potential to provide an interesting challenge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time he arrived, the rest of the group had already seated themselves around Merlin’s roundtable: Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Ienzo, and Yuffie.  There were others in the house as well, but they didn’t appear to be playing.  Naminé sat in a chair off to the side, her head bent over her sketchbook.  In another corner of the room, Leon typed some figures into Cid’s computer, while Aerith hovered next to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord sized up his opponents.  He suspected that Ienzo would be the one to watch closely- he’d always done well in the Organization’s poker league.  Donald and Goofy, not so much.  He knew very little about Kairi.  She didn’t seem like a threat, but perhaps that was a ruse.  It would be better not to let his guard down around her.  Nor did he know much about Yuffie, but he could tell from that mischievous smirk on her face that she was a born wild card.  And Riku had managed to outwit the original Organization for a full year, so that was something to keep in mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Smiling to himself, Luxord took the open seat between Ienzo and Donald.  This had the makings of an excellent game.  “So, tell me: how do you play this ‘Dungeons &amp; Dragons’?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s why we’re here: to go over the rules and figure out our characters,” explained Sora.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Characters…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span> is a storytelling game,” said Kairi.  “You create a character and you pretend to be that character while you’re playing.  Sora’s the dungeon master.  He decides what the story’s going to be about, and he makes up challengers for our characters to face.  Whether or not you can beat the monsters or obstacles depends on how well you roll your dice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord blinked.  Her explanation made </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span> sound more like community theater than an actual game.  At least the parts about “challenges” and “rolling the dice” sounded familiar.  He decided to sit back and listen to the rest of his competitors to get a sense of how best to play.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I already know who my character’s gonna be!” announced Donald proudly.  He struck a heroic pose atop his chair, raising both of his fists.  “Paperinik the Avenger: a Dragonborn barbarian!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’m Max Underhill, the Halfling cleric,” said Goofy, “Me ‘n’ Kairi both decided to be halflings.  We’re gonna come from the same family and village.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kairi took a little bow.  “Lily Underhill, Halfling monk, at your service!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Donald snickered at Goofy.  “You mean, you could be any character you wanted to be, and you picked a weak little Halfling?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, Donald, size don’t count for everything.  Just think how much damage you can do whenever we fight Heartless,” Goofy reminded him.  Donald grumbled under his breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, does this mean that everybody except Luxord has their characters ready?” asked Sora.</span>
  <span> <br/></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m afraid not.  I’m still going over the rules,” replied Ienzo.  They couldn’t see his face from behind the guidebook that he’d propped up on the table.  “But I am looking forward to playing with all of you.  I want to learn more about the leisure activities that I missed out on during my years in the Organization.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I decided to go with a human paladin.  I’m calling her ‘Avi,’” said Riku.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cool!  I’m going with a human too!  Her name’s Dagger and she’s a rogue,” said Yuffie.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riku chuckled.  “So you’re basically playing as yourself?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, why mess with perfection?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The group might as well have spoken a different language; their whole conversation went right over Luxord’s head.  This would not do.  He needed to understand if he wished to outsmart them.  “Sora, do you have any extra copies of that book that Ienzo’s reading?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure do!  Here you go, Luxord!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord took the book as though it were a priceless jewel.  “Why so many rules, I wonder?” he asked aloud, as he flipped through the pages.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, there’s lots of different ways that you can build your character, and different obstacles they can face,” said Sora, “Like Kairi said, it’s all about storytelling.”  He called over to Aerith and Leon, “Are you guys sure that you don’t want to play?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve got more than enough people as is,” said Leon, “And trust me when I tell you: you do </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>want this one playing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span> with you.”  He jerked his thumb in Aerith’s direction.  An uncharacteristically evil smile spread across her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aerith?”  Sora blinked.  “Why not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Back when we were kids, Isa tried running a campaign with us.  Me, Aerith, Lea, Cloud, and Tifa.  It went badly,” said Leon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We didn’t derail things </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>much,” said Aerith.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tifa and I were the only ones who actually tried to follow the plot that Isa set up.  And every time it was Cloud’s turn to fight in a battle, he would only protect Tifa’s character.  Even if the rest of us were on our last death save throw.  Which we usually </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span>, because you and Lea always made sure that we failed to sneak out or settle our problems diplomatically.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was fun causing chaos!” Aerith protested, “Like that time when we broke into that NPC’s house...what was his name?  Don Corneo...?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chaos, huh?”  Yuffie rubbed her hands together.  “Wanna give me some tips, Aerith?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” said Leon, “This is Sora’s first campaign.  Don’t mess it up for him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord listened carefully.  The way Kairi spoke of challenges and dice rolls, he suspected that the group needed to work together to defeat the dungeon master.  But Leon made it sound like they were supposed to let the dungeon master win.  There was no clear objective.  Every time Luxord thought he was starting to understand the point of the game, someone made a remark that left him feeling just as confused as before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then again, Leon and Sora were friends, so Leon would want to see the dungeon master defeat the players.  Luxord decided to ask somebody outside of the group for some tips.  Somebody with experience who enjoyed causing trouble.  Aerith was out of the question; she was also too close to Sora.  But based on Leon’s remarks, they weren’t the only ones who’d been involved in Isa’s campaign…</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, you want me to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord spoke into his Gummiphone: “I want you to give me as much information as you can about </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  Particularly how you and Aerith dismantled Saïx- that is, Isa’s- campaign.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lea scratched his head.  “I mean, it sort of happens as you go.  We didn’t know what Isa had planned for us every time we sat down to play.  We just rolled with whatever he presented and found ways to mess it up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see.  So the game requires you to think on your feet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but you don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to mess things up for the dungeon master.  We just did it because it’s fun to mess with Isa.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I heard that, Lea,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>said Isa, somewhere off-screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What, it was news to you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If we could return to this discussion at hand,” Luxord interrupted.  “I need some clarification on the finer points of the game.  We are playing a week from today and I must have my character ready by then.  So, tell me: what are some of the best races and classes to choose from?  I want to be prepared to defeat Sora.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Defeat Sora…?”  Lea frowned.  “Luxord, no offense, but I don’t think you’re getting the point of this game.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sora is the dungeon master, so that means he is determining everything that happens to our characters, correct?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He is the one who will throw out challenges that place our characters in mortal peril?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kinda…?  It depends on what’s happening in the story…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Therefore, it stands to reason that we, the players, must find ways to outsmart the dungeon master to prevent him from killing off our characters.  That is the point of the game, correct?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean…a lot of what you’re saying is </span>
  <em>
    <span>technically </span>
  </em>
  <span>right, but I don’t think you’ve got the right mindset for D&amp;D.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then what sort of mindset must I have to win the game?” asked Luxord.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See, that’s the thing: there isn’t really a way to ‘win.’  I know this’ll sound ridiculous to you, but the point of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span> is to tell a story and have fun with your friends.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord frowned.  That made no sense.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>All </span>
  </em>
  <span>games had terms for winning and losing.  How could anyone be expected to have fun if there were no stakes involved?  Then again, he’d forgotten that Lea considered Sora a friend, despite preferring the company of Roxas and Xion.  Maybe he was hiding something on purpose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Never mind.  I will study the character races and classes myself to determine their strengths and weaknesses.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, you did want to talk about that.  Here, I know who you should talk to.”  Lea dropped his Gummiphone and yelled out, “Hey, Pence!”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A moment later, a boy about the same age as Sora appeared on the Gummiphone screen.  “Hi there!  I’m Pence!  So, you want to know how to build your character?  There’s a lot of things you need to consider.  The basic races are human, elves, dwarves, gnomes, half-orcs…”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You have all just arrived in the town of Dragon’s Vale.  It’s a place that’s become more crowded than usual because of people like you, people who have all lost their homes to a mysterious darkness that’s been swallowing up the world, bit by bit…”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You mean like the Heartless?” asked Riku.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sora paused in the middle of setting his scene.  “Riku, c’mon, don’t interrupt!” he complained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aha!  So this campaign is going to be just like our first adventure!  Heartless are swallowing up worlds and we have to stop it!” said Donald.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Guys, c’mon, just let me finish telling the story…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Is </span>
  </em>
  <span>that what it’s about?” asked Goofy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sora slumped over the table.  “Yeah…okay…it is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ienzo pulled out a clipboard to jot down some notes.  “So, in other words, you use </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span> as a means to explore personal problems and work through your inner traumas in an imaginary setting?  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fascinating</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wasn’t trying to…look, would you guys please just let me get on with this?” Sora groaned.  They agreed, and he continued:</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“So, you’re all here in Dragon’s Vale after losing your homes to the darkness.  When you first enter the town, the guards at the front gate look you up and down before they let you proceed.  You see a lot of people hanging around by the inn, looking for a place to stay.  Other people are lining up outside a chapel to pray for their homes to be restored.  Oh, and there’s a blacksmith’s shop, and the mayor’s house, and…uh…let’s see…there’s stables for people’s horses right by the inn, and of course there’s the houses where people are staying.  And there’s a shop selling potions and magic spells.  Stuff like that.  So, now that you’re here, what do you want to do?’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord waited for someone else to speak first.  Let the others test their luck and see what worked for them and what didn’t.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With Pence’s help, he’d settled on a Tiefling character.  Nobody else in the group had chosen one, and Pence agreed with him that a well-balanced party was essential for success.  The Tiefling race piqued his interest the most.  As a former Nobody, he could relate to a group of people shunned by the rest of the world due to something outside of their control.  After looking over the classes with Pence and ruling out the ones that the rest of the party had already selected, he picked a druid.  The ability to change into a variety of animals would undoubtedly prove useful.  Pence helped him calculate his ability modifiers, and Nowhere the Tiefling Druid was born.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Ienzo- also known as Cosmos, the Half-elven wizard- spoke up: “I will go to the inn.  That would appear to be the most likely place to find information.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good idea!  I bet that’s the best place to find people who need heroes!” said Donald, as he pretended to swing an imaginary axe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, and Dagger wants a drink after what she’s been through,” said Yuffie.  Everyone else agreed to Ienzo’s plan and they all set off for the inn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Inside, the inn is packed.  And I mean PACKED.  There’s hardly any room to stand, let alone sit at a table.  You see all kinds of different peoples here from all different cultures, so you’ll fit right in.  The bartender is an elven woman with short red hair, pointed ears, and a pretty smile.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Red hair?”  Goofy glanced at his fellow Halfling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pretty smile?” Donald snickered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up!  It doesn’t mean anything!” insisted the narrator. “Ienzo, put the clipboard away!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dagger’s going up to the bartender to ask for a drink,” said Yuffie.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sora jumped on the chance to change the subject.  “Okay, Dagger’s going to talk to the bartender!  And Cosmos wanted to gather information.  What does everyone else want to do?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord cleared his throat.  “I would like some more information on the people in this tavern.  Do any of them seem like threats to our group?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Make a Perception check,” suggested Sora.  Luxord flipped the D20 around in his hand.  He’d never seen so many different kinds of dice before, with more than six sides, no less.  It raised so many more opportunities to succeed or fail than he would have thought possible- which was just the way that he liked it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nineteen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, great first roll!” Sora cheered, as did the rest of the group around the table.  Luxord found that puzzling.  If he’d done so well, why was Sora pleased?  “Okay, so you look around the room, but nobody strikes you as suspicious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I rolled a high number.  Doesn’t that entitle me to more information?” argued Luxord.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It does if there was more information to give out.  But nobody in the room wants to attack you guys, so you’re set.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord nodded.  So, Sora wanted to lull them into a false sense of security.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me and Kairi are traveling together, so we’ll decide amongst ourselves what we’re doing,” said Goofy.  The two of them stuck their heads together and held a whispered conversation.  “We’re going to get ourselves a room at the inn,” he announced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sora nodded.  “Unfortunately, with so many new arrivals, the inn is booked solid.  You guys are going to have to find another place to stay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, phooey!” grumbled Donald, “The hotel in Traverse Town wasn’t that crowded when we visited!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, this isn’t Traverse Town.  This is Dragon’s Vale.  You’ll have to think of something else.”  Sora gave everyone a minute and then proceeded with the planned adventure.  “Goofy and Kairi- whoops, I mean- Max and Lily- as you’re standing there talking, someone comes up behind you and says, ‘I can help you out.  I have enough room in my stables for about seven people- for a price.’”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord’s suspicions spiked.  So, it seemed, did Kairi’s.  “Before we say yes, we’ll need to know what your price is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s fair,” said Sora.  He changed up his voice, presumably to sound like an old woman.  But instead it just came out high-pitched and squeaky.  His friends tried not to laugh and failed miserably.  “</span>
  <em>
    <span>My name is Leshanna Oakenheel.  I run a farm outside of town.  My fellow farmers and I have been protecting the borders of Dragon’s Vale with our magic, but the creatures that come out of the shadows have started to overwhelm us.  We’re looking for people who can help us protect this land and keep refugees like yourselves safe.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Max and Lily nodded to each other.  “We’d be happy to help!” they said.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>A half-elven man approached them.  “Excuse me,” said Cosmos, “Forgive me for interrupting, but would it not make more sense to search for the source of these creatures and stamp it out?  Otherwise, you’ll be fighting them for the rest of your lives and it’s likely they’ll overwhelm you before too long.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s true, Ienz- I mean, Cos-, I mean, I’m not supposed to know your name yet, whoever you are,” said Leshanna, “But we haven’t been able to spare anybody to go out and search for it.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Gwarsh, maybe we should be the ones to do it,” suggested Max.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You?  No offense, but you’ve just arrived, and you don’t look like you have the experience for such a venture.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Lily Underhill folded her arms over her chest.  “Then why don’t we get some experience?  We can’t help anybody if we do nothing.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, okay, Kai- I mean, Lily.  Why don’t you meet me at my farm tonight, and we’ll put you to work.  And you are…?”  The old farmer directed her question to the half-elf.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cosmos.  I’m a wizard.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“A wizard?  Interesting!  Anyway, my farm is just outside the southern gate.  You might’ve passed it on your way into town.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“EXCUSE ME!” boomed a new voice, “If you need a hero, you should be asking for help from PAPERINIK THE AVENGER!”  A blue Dragonborn pushed through the crowds to show off his battleaxe and mace.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Excellent, Dona- sorry, Paperinik.  I will gladly accept your services.  Meet me at my farm tonight…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hold up,” said Yuffie, “I want to see what she’s got in her pockets.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sora blinked.  “But she wants to help you guys.  She’s a friend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t care.  I don’t know anything about her.  I want to pick her pockets.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord nodded.  “I agree.  We don’t know anything about her.  I would like to see if she’s lying about her intentions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, are you interacting with Leshanna too, Luxord?  You can roll for Insight, and while you’re doing that, Leshanna looks you over and says, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Tieflings need not show up.  I know that your kind consorts with the shadow creatures.’</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s accusing him of being a bad guy when she doesn’t even know him?” cried Yuffie, “That’s it.  I’m picking her pockets.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but…she’s an old lady…” Sora protested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you going to railroad this game or are you going to let me pick her pockets?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sora sighed.  “Fine.  Luxord, roll for insight.  Yuffie, roll for sleight of hand.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuffie cackled.  “That’s my specialty!”  But the laughter stopped abruptly when she rolled a five.  “Are you KIDDING me?”  Even with her bonuses, it wasn’t enough to succeed.  Luxord smirked as his dice landed on 17.  At least Lady Luck was on </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, Luxord: you study Leshanna and you get the impression that her offer is sincere.  You can also tell that she means it when she says that Tieflings are not welcome on her farm.  Yuffie, when you slip your hand into Leshanna’s pockets, she catches you grabbing her money bag and slaps your hand away.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I can offer you more than a few coins if you join us in our fight against the shadows,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she tells you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I slap her right back,” said Yuffie.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…why…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because nobody slaps my hand and gets away with it.  Also, she insulted that nice Tiefling and I don’t like people who are rude to Tieflings.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s not going to like it if you do that.  You’re alienating the one person in the inn who’s offering to help you,” Sora warned her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riku interrupted.  “Does my character, Avi, notice what’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Probably.  They’re having an argument right in the middle of the tavern,” said Sora.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.  I’m going to step in between everyone, show them that I’m a paladin, and ask them to break it up,” said Riku.  When Sora advised him to roll for persuasion, he glanced down at his character sheet and ability modifiers.  “Uh-oh…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ha!  You’ve got no charisma!” Yuffie taunted.  Luxord stroked his goatee.  He’d been so focused on Sora’s strategy as the dungeon master that he’d stopped paying attention to his fellow players.  Yuffie’s character was starting to look like the most dangerous piece in the game.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riku rolled his dice.  “Ha!  Natural 20!”  Yuffie threw up her hands and groaned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nice!” cheered Sora, “Leshanna thanks you for intervening and doesn’t retaliate.  Yuffie…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuffie grumbled, “I guess I’ll go get my drink.  I don’t want to fight Riku’s character.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Awww, I wanted to be in a fight,” grumbled Donald.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll get your chance soon, don’t worry,” Sora assured him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While the others continued their conversation and made preparations to travel to Leshanna’s farm, Luxord pondered his own strategy.  As a druid, he could have Nowhere take the form of an animal and sneak behind the rest of the party.  And it would give him an advantage to spy on Leshanna and confirm whether she really had good intentions.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Next to Luxord, Yuffie attempted to stack her dice on top of each other as she pouted.  He grinned to himself.  Of course, it would be more fun to try this strategy out with a partner.  “I have something I’d like to discuss with you,” he told her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuffie sat up, accidentally knocking over her dice.  “Oh yeah?  What is it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As a Tiefling, I cannot enter Leshanna’s farm.  But as a druid, I could get by undetected.  How would you like to help me break in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuffie rubbed her hands together.  “And steal all of her treasure?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...do you think there will be treasure on an old woman’s farm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You never know where you’re going to find treasure in this game.”  Yuffie held out her hand to shake.  “Dagger says, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m in.  Serves the old lady right for being rude to you.  What’s your plan?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord lowered his voice so that Sora couldn’t hear.  “I can disguise myself as a falcon and scout the area ahead of you.  Once we’re there, you can let me into the house, and we’ll see what Sora’s character is really up to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like it, and so does Dagger!  Let’s do this!”  Yuffie raised her voice, “Hey, Sora!  Luxord and I have a plan that we want to try out!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you telling him now?  He’s going to find a way to foil us, isn’t he?” asked Luxord.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not unless we roll badly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Luxord, I have to know so I can tell you what skills you need to roll and whether it works or not,” explained Sora, “I’m not out to get you guys or anything.”  He cracked a mischievous grin.  “I leave that up to the dice.  So, you want to try sneaking on to Leshanna’s farm?  Roll for stealth.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuffie smirked.  “Good thing that’s one of my specialties.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’ve been rolling particularly well tonight,” said Luxord.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They rolled their dice and stared at the numbers.  And stared.  And stared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh boy.  What’d you guys get?” Riku asked with a grin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Five</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” said Yuffie</span>
  <em>
    <span>, </span>
  </em>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Five</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>AGAIN.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”  She slammed her head down on the table.  “What’d you get, Mr. Druid?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord winced.  “Two.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about after you add your modifiers?” asked Kairi.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eleven.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Three.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone at the table burst out laughing and cheered.  “Okay, this is going to be good,” said Sora, “You guys try to sneak up on the farm by going through the woods adjacent to it.  Luxord, one of Leshanna’s farmhands spots you coming out of the trees, only she mistakes you for one of the flying Heartless that’s been attacking the town.  Yuffie, your attempts to sneak through the trees alert some </span>
  <em>
    <span>actual </span>
  </em>
  <span>Heartless…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“YES!” cheered Donald, “Combat already!  I’ll show them a thing or two with my axe and my lightning breath!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riku shook his head at Yuffie.  “I can already tell that you two are going to be the death of this party.”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>By the time the night was over, the Radiant Seven had successfully fought off a dozen Shadow Heartless and convinced Leshanna that Dagger and Nowhere were just trying to protect the farm, not break into it.  As everyone packed up their things and left Merlin’s house, Sora went over to Luxord and asked, “So, what did you think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord rolled the D20 around in his hand.  “It certainly wasn’t what I anticipated, but entertaining nonetheless.  So, we’re not really competing against you, are we?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah.  Pence told me that some dungeon masters like to punish their players, but I’m just here to have fun and see where you guys go with this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord chuckled.  He should have expected that from Sora.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, yeah, it’s not your usual game and we’re not really competing against each other.”  Sora held up his own D20.  “I guess, if you think about it, since the dice decide how well everyone does, you’re sort of competing against fate?  But hey, if you’re not really into this game and you want us to play something else sometime, that’s fine too.  You don’t have to keep playing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luxord thought about it.  Storytelling wasn’t something that interested him much, but then again, he wasn’t the one telling the story.  He could walk away from the table and ask Sora to pick something else.  Or he could embrace the strangeness of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span> and see where it led.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He decided to embrace it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me when you all decide to play again.  I would hate to deprive Yuffie of the chance to enact some new schemes in town with my druid abilities.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sora grinned.  “Sure thing.  I’ll make sure you guys don’t get too carried away.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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